Treatment of Mesothelioma

Updated on June 5, 2013

What
is
Mesothelioma?

It is a type of cancer caused by exposure to asbestos. In
this disease, malignant cells develop in the mesothelium which
is a protective lining
that covers most of internal organs in our body. It occurs mostly in the
outer
lining of the lungs and internal chest wall which is called pleura.
It may also
occur in the areas such as the lining of the abdominal cavity called peritoneum
and also in
the heart
and in the double-walled sac that surrounds the heart called pericardium
and tunica vaginalis which
is the serous covering of the testis.

Use of Asbestos and the risk of MesotheliomaAsbestos is a naturally occurring silicate mineral with long, thin fibrous crystals. The inhalation of asbestos fibers can cause serious illnesses including malignant lung cancer and Mesothelioma.In Mesothelioma, malignant cells develop in the mesoth

To read
more details of Mesothelioma please clickhere
———→

The treatment for patients with
malignant mesothelioma depends on the following factors:

the stage of the disease

the location of the
cancer

how far the cancer has spread

how
the cancer cells look under the
microscope

the patient’s age

the
patient’s preferences

There are three traditional
treatment methods for patients with malignant mesothelioma:

Surgery
- taking out the cancer cells

Chemotherapy
- use drugs to
fight the cancer

Radiation - use
high-dose
X-rays or other high-energy rays to kill cancer cells or keep them
from
growing

A
diagnostic surgery is
performed in order to confirm and stage mesothelioma.

Thoracoscopy - This enables the physician
to evaluate the pleural cavity and to conduct multiple tissue biopsies under
direct vision.

VATS, or
video-assisted thoracic surgery
– The physician can view the pleural
space with the assistance of a camera, and obtain sufficient tissue samples for
analysis by a pathologist. This is an alternative to thoracoscopy,

Laproscopy
– This can be important in evaluating a patient for
potential pleurectomy or extrapleural pneumonectomy. It is used in patients in
cases where imaging techniques suggest possible invasion of the tumor through
the diaphragm.

Wide local excision - Surgery to remove the cancer and some of the healthy tissue
around it.

Pleurectomy and decortication - Surgery to
remove part of the covering of the lungs
and lining of the chest and part of the outside surface of the lungs.

Extrapleural pneumonectomy - Surgery to
remove one whole lung and part of the lining of the chest, the diaphragm,
and the lining of the sac around the heart.

Pleurodesis - A
surgical
procedure that uses chemicals or drugs
to make a scar in the space between the layers of the pleura.
Fluid
is first drained from the space using a catheter
or chest tube and the chemical or drug is put into the space. The scarring
stops the build-up of fluid in the pleural cavity.

Patients
may be given chemotherapy
or radiation therapy after surgery to kill any remaining cancer cells
even if all the cancer cells that can be seen at the time of the surgery
are
removed.

Treatment is given after surgery to
lower the risk that the cancer will come back and it is called adjuvant therapy.

Chemotherapy means the treatment of cancer using drugs. Anticancer, or chemotherapy drugs, work to destroy cancer cells by preventing them from multiplying. Most drugs used to treat mesothelioma are intravenous or given by injection into a vein. Sometimes chemotherapy drugs are directly put into the chest or abdomen and this is called intracavitary chemotherapy

Chemotherapy for mesothelioma is not considered curative. Therefore, depending on the stage of the cancer at the time of diagnosis and the age and health of the patient, chemotherapy is used for different purposes.

To control the cancer by stopping its spread or slowing its growth.

To shrink tumors prior to other treatments, such as surgery. This is called neoadjuvant chemotherapy.

To destroy any remaining cancer cells which may remain after surgery.

To relieve symptoms, such as pain. This is called palliative chemotherapy, and is given in cases when a drastic reduction in the tumor is not expected.

When chemotherapy is given by mouth or injected into a vein or muscle, the drugs enter the bloodstream and reach cancer cells throughout the body. When chemotherapy is placed directly into the spinal column, an organ, or a body cavity such as the abdomen, the drugs mainly affect cancer cells in those areas only. The use of more than one anticancer drug is called Combinationchemotherapy. The way the chemotherapy is given depends on the type and stage of the cancer being treated.

Biologic therapy is a treatment that uses the patient’s immune system to fight cancer. Substances made by the body or made in a laboratory are used to boost or restore the body’s natural defenses against cancer. This type of cancer treatment is also called biotherapy or immunotherapy.

Radiation
therapy is a cancer
treatment that uses high-energy x-rays
or other types of radiation
to kill cancer cells or keep them from growing. Radiation therapytreats
cancer by using penetrating beams of high energy or streams of particles
called
radiation. In treating mesothelioma, radiation may be used aggressively
in
combination with surgery, or palliatively to control symptoms. There are
two
types of radiation therapy.

Internal radiation therapy uses a
radioactive
substance sealed in needles, seeds,
wires, or catheters that are placed directly into or near the cancer.

The
way the radiation therapy is
given depends on the type and stage
of the cancer being treated.

Clinical
trials mean the last testing
steps a new cancer treatment must go
through before it is released to the general public to use. They often
use
traditional cancer treatments - surgery, chemotherapy and radiation -
but in
different ways to try to find more effective remedies. Other clinical
trials
for mesothelioma include new drugs or experimental therapies such as
photodynamic therapy, gene therapy or other experimental approaches.

Many leading
cancer treatment centers and drug companies are conducting clinical
trials
in the hope of helping mesothelioma patients live longer. Any patient
may
participate in clinical trials. Clinical trials require the patient to
meet
certain eligibility requirements. He or she might need to be at a
certain stage
of the disease in order to participate. There are benefits and
disadvantages in
being involved in a clinical trial, but many people feel that the
benefit of
being able to try a new drug that is promising enough to merit a
clinical trial
outweighs the negatives.

Immunotherapy

One of the more traditional treatments for cancer has been the use of
chemicals produced by the body's immune system against the cancerous
cells. While
they are often effective in treating other kinds of cancer, they have
had only
limited success in treating mesothelioma. Recently, however, researchers
have
found that introducing interleukin-2 directly into the space between the
lungs
and the ribs may slow the growth of tumors. There are a number of
clinical
trials ongoing.

Heat Therapy

Clinical trials have shown that mesothelioma cells are more
susceptible to
anticancer drugs that are heated to temperatures as high as 109 degrees.
There
are two ways that this is accomplished. The first is to heat the drugs
themselves before injecting them. The other is to heat the pleural
cavity
before the drugs are injected.

Gene Therapy

There are a number of different kinds of gene therapy being
investigated.
One of the most promising involves genetically changing the structure of
a
virus so that the cells that are invaded by the virus become more
susceptible
to drugs used to treat cancer.

Photodynamic
Therapy

Photodynamic therapy is being studied for use against several kinds
of
cancer, including malignant mesothelioma. It involves the injection of
photo-sensitive substance into the pleural cavity. The molecules of this
substance are absorbed by the cancerous cells, making them susceptible
to
light. They are then subjected to a low intensity laser or
high-intensity light
which kills off the mesothelioma cells.

Many people who are treated for
serious illnesses find comfort in different
alternative therapies such as Ayurvedic treatment, Homeopathy,
Acupuncture etc. These methods of disease management
can complement conventional therapies and allow the patient to be more
at peace
and comfortable during this difficult time. Meditation
and Yoga are
common methods used by many to reach a state of relaxation, and release
endorphins, our body's natural pain relievers.

Comments 1 comment

Vitaly 3 years ago

Yes, it would be extremely rare to have lung ccnaer at an early age . . there are biological reasons . . the biology of a child is different than that of an older adult . . thus age groups have different types of ccnaers . . there are specific ccnaers for four identified age groups. What this means is that ccnaer is often age specific .. there are ccnaers of childhood, ccnaers of adolescents, ccnaers of young adults, and ccnaers of older adults (over 50). Lung ccnaer is almost predominately a disease of older adults and sometimes adults younger than 50 will get it also. It is very rare to occur in children, adolescents, or young adults under 30. However, ccnaer is deceptive and for every rule there is an exception . . so, while rare . . yes, children and the young can develop a subtype of lung ccnaer. Even with advanced stages, no one knows how long an individual will survive. Treatment for lung ccnaer would generally not involve a lung transplant.You can locate young lung ccnaer survivors online at groups such as Planet Cancer and I'm too young for this

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